Method of making furniture



y 0, 1966 M. 5mm] 3,249,984

METHOD OF MAKING FURNITURE Filed Aug. 17, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 9 M. STORTI 3,249,984

METHOD OF MAKING FURNITURE Filed Aug. 17, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

3,249,984 METHOD OF MAKING FURNITURE Michael Storti, Barrington, R.I., assignor to Rohm & Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 389,999 4 Claims. (Cl. 2991.1)

. which they are subjected; and they have to be comfortable because of the amount of time the motorist spends on them. Making seats that meet these requirements at a price in line with the total cost of the car has always posed a tough problem for designers. Recently vinyl-coated fabrics have become commonplace in this use. Seat con- I structions based on this material have been developed which materially reduce the amount of time previously taken to lay-up a seat. However, the final assembly of the seat still involves a considerable amount of time, and hence money, in sewing up the seams involved in the final scat construction. Further, while such vinyl-coated fabrics offer a pleasing variety of color and design, they nevertheless present an essentially plastic external appearance.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel chair construction having a normal uncoated fabric exterior.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a chair having a normal fabric exterior while still possessing the same advantages in lay up time as the vinyl-coated fabrics.

Again, it is an object of the invention to provide a means for assembling chairs without the necessity of stitching in any of the operations including the final assembly of the chair.

Yet again, it is an object of the invention to provide a I means for constructing chairs which combine a pleasing appearance, a rugged construction, true seating comfort and at a minimum of cost.

These and other objects of the invention will best be understood from the following description together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view showing apparatus for producing a coated fabric for use according to a preferred embodiment of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the production of a plastic-foam, fabric laminate for use in the instant invention; V

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section of a coated fabric used in a preferred embodiment of the instant invention;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section of a fabric, plastic-foam laminate used in the instant invention;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view showing the use of the fabric, plastic-foam laminate in construction of 'a chair according to theinvention.

FIGURE 1 diagrammatically represents an apparatus for producing a coated fabric for use according to a preferred embodiment .of the instant invention. As there shown, a suitable fabric is fed from supply roll 11 to take-up roll 12. Intermediate supply roll 11 andtake-up roll 12 is positioned a conventional roller coating assembly comprising rollers 13 and 15 between which fabric 10 passes. Roller 14 drives roller 13. Roller 16 is'positioned with its axis parallel to roller 15 and is adapted United States Patent 'with roller 15 to feed a supply of a curable elastomeric adhesive 17 onto the surface of fabric 10 as it passes between rollers 13 and 15. Rollers 13 and 15 act to level the coating of the adhesive 17 on fabric 10 to provide a uniform coating thereon. The viscosity of the adhesive 17 and the conditions of application are so selected that the adhesive remains on the one side of the fabric without penetrating to the other. Desirably an interleaving material 18 is supplied from a supply roller 19 onto take-up roller 12 along with the coated fabric 10 so as to prevent the uncured adhesive 17 from offsetting from the upper surface of the fabric 10 onto the lower uncoated surface as the fabric is wound on take-up roller 12. A suitable means (not shown) drives rollers 14, 15, 16 and 12.

Elastomeric adhesive compositions suitable for coating the fabrics as herein described are set forth in US. patent application Serial No. 110,297 filed on May 5, 1961, by Daniel Rhee. The preparation of the coated fabric itself is not part of the instant invention and the coated fabric may be produced as described herein and, in more detail, in the aforesaid application of Rhee.

A cross-section of the coated fabric 20 produced in this manner is shown in FIGURE 3 wherein the adhesive layer 17 is coated on one side of fabric 10. The thickness of the coating is not critical. Desirably the coating is from about 0.005 to 0.020 inch thick. Even thinner coats maybe obtained by knife-coating a solvent-thinned elastomer coating-onto an abhesive surface and offsetting the coating onto the fabric or the plastic foam. Any fabric possessing all-way stretch may be used. Such a stretch fabric may be provided using a circular knit with any conventional .fiber. Preferably, a stretch yarn, i.e., a yarn to which stretch is imparted by either the conventional or false twist process, may be used in either a woven or knittedconstruction to produce a suitable stretch fabric. The use of a thermoplastic yarn, such as nylon or a polyester. is preferred as the molding process producing the laminate permanently sets the fabric itself in the design configuration of the mold.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the production of a plastic-foam, fabric laminate for use in a preferred embodiment of the instant invention. As there shown, the coated fabric 20, produced as illustrated in FIGURE 1, is placed on a sheet of plastic foam 21 (after removal of the interlaying material 18, if any) so that adhesive layer 17 contacts foam 21, which foam, in turn, rests on scrim 22. This assembly is placed in a mold assembly made up of a movable platen 23 and a stationary platen 24 to whose face is affixed a mold plate 25 having a suitable pattern to emboss the plastic-foam, fabric'laminate to be produced.

In FIGURE 2', the particular design is a watlle pattern produced by raised sections 26 of the mold. The mold plate also provides a raised portion 27 around the periphery'thereof to produce a welt in the finished laminate. Ram 28 propels the movable platen 23 into engagement with the mold plate '25 whereupon heat is applied to the mold causing the adhesive to cure, firmly bonding fabric 20 to foam 21 and scrim 22. In addition, thecombined effect of heat and pressure embosses the pattern of mold plate 25 into the resulting laminate.

The laminate so produced has a cross-section as shown .in FIGURE 4. Asthere shown, such a laminate 40 comprises an upper surface 10 of the fabric originally coated with the adhesive, a lower surface of the scrim fabric 22 and, permanently attached therebetween, a layer of a plastic foam 21 which is formed into a design by depressed areas 30 by reason of the action of the raised projections 26 of mold plate 25. The laminate also contains a welt section 31 produced by the action of raised portion 27 of mold plate 25. A variety of plastic foam materials may be used, such as elastic foams of natural rubber, polychloroprene, polyvinyl chloride, SBR, polycis-butadiene, poly-cis-isoprene, polyurethane, etc. The foams may be either open cell or closed cell.

Neither the laminate nor the method of its preparation is part of the instant invention. Thus a laminate suitable for use in the instant invention and a process for its manufacture using a frame molding process is disclosed in my copending application entitled Fabric Laminate and Process Therefor filed on August 17, 1964, as Serial No. 390,059. As disclosed therein, a laminate particularly useful in furniture construction comprises a stretch fabric bonded to a polyurethane foam sheet with a sheet of fiberfill therebetween.

By way of example, using the apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1, an all-Way stretch nylon fabric was given a 6 mil thick coating of a curable elastomeric composition of:

Constituent: Parts by weight Polychloroprene 100.0 Antioxidant 0.5

Wax 1.0 Titanium dioxide 20.0 Silica 3.0 Lime 0.5

' There wasthen brought together a scrim material 22 of ing the fabric to foam layer 21 without striking through to the free surface of the fabric. Thus, the surface of the laminate has the appearance and hand of an unmodified fabric surface. The bond between fabric and foam is complete and permanent over the entire area of the fabric due to the resilient contact between foam and fabric even in the raised portions of the pattern. Moreover, the bond is permanent, resisting dry cleaning solvents (depending on the particular adhesive, of course), soap and water, etc. Further, the laminate has improved anti-minking properties. (Heretofore, knitted fabrics could not be used in car seat construction because of the minking problem wherein the hairs of a fur coat are-entrapped in the fabric and pulled out.) The laminates molded in this manner take a deep pattern including sharp, compound curves without stitching which pattern is permanently set.

If desired, the elastomeric adhesive may be coated on both the foam and the fabric. In addition, the adhesive may be applied as a discontinuous pattern, as in a dot pattern, to the fabric and/or the foam rather than as a continuous layer. However, the use of a continuous layer of the elastomeric adhesive is preferred by reason of the uniformity of bonding, improved minking properties, etc.

The use of roller coating to apply the adhesive is not critical and any method known to the art for applying such materials, such as the offset process described in my aforesaid application, may be used.

The molding step wherein the elastomeric adhesive bonds the fabric and the foam, has been described herein as curing the elastomer. The term curing as used herein is not limited to a cross-linking or similar reaction such as occurs with certain elastomeric material-s such as polychloroprene, natural rubber, etc., but also embraces the heat treatment of elastomeric materials such as chlorosulfonated polyethylene (available under the trademark Hypalon) so as to flow and bond the foam with the fiber structure of the fabric as described irrespective of the nature of the chemical reactions, if any, which may occur. a

The use of this laminate in constructing a chair in accordance with the instant invention is shown in FIGURE 5. As there shown, the laminate 40 is provided in appropriate shape and form for covering, and attachment to, a chair frame 42. This is done by cutting (as by means of a die) the coated fabric, the'plastic foam and the scrim to the desired shape and then producing the laminate using a mold as illustrated in FIGURE 2. In the case of the laminate shown in FIGURE 5, the pattern used in the mold plast 25 produces a waflle pattern with the laminate possessing a peripheral welt 31. A resilient material, preferably a polyurethane foam, is shaped as by cutting or molding to provide a seat cushion 41. This resilient material having a cushion-like shape, is positioned on the seat portion of frame 42. The frame may be plastic, a reinforced plastic as a glass fiber-reinforced polyester combination, plywood, metal, etc. In the embodiment shown, the frame has a peripheral clincher strip 43. Means 44 are provided for attaching a pedestal mount. If desired, legs, rather than the pedestal, may be attached to the frame to complete the chair.

To assemble the chair, the seat cushion 41 is positioned on the seat portion of frame 42, the laminate 40' is placed to cover the frame 4 2 and the cushion 4 1 and is attached to the frame by means of the clincher strip 43 engaging the welt 31. If desired, an adhesive cement may be applied to portions of the back portion of frame 42 to provide intermediate areas of attachment of the laminate 40 to the frame 42. Instead of using a clincher strip, the welt may be attached to the frame by stapling, nails or cement, etc.

As the laminate 42 is provided by a simple die-cutting and molding operation, the seat cushion 41 by a simple molding or cutting of a polyurethane foam, and the frame 42 by a similar molding or stamping operation (depending on the nature of the material used), the production of the individual components used in this chair construction is simple and economical. The assembly of these units to a completed chair is accomplished in an exceedingly expeditious and economical way. The resulting chair combines a pleasing appearance and a rugged construction.

Several variations of the invention may be used. For example, if a softer back is desired than is provided by the plastic foam forming a part of laminate 40, a resilient cushion shaped to correspond to the back portion of the frame may be provided to be covered by the laminate 40 in the same manner as seat cushion 41 when the laminate is attached to the frame. The frame 42 may be provided with arm rests requiring a slightly different shape for the laminate 40. In view of the stretchability of the components of the laminate, no difiiculty is encountered in covering such structures in the instant in vention. Further, rather than producing a single laminate to cover both the seat and back portions of the frame 42, if desired, two laminates may be prepared; one limited to the seat portion and one limited to the back portion. However, by reason of economy and speed of assembly, it is preferred to use the structure illustrated in FIGURE 5. In addition, while polyurethane foam is the preferred material for the resilient seat cushion 41, other materials having the proper characteristics for this use and known to those skilled in the art may be used. Although the use of a scrim or backing material is preferred, suitable laminates for chair construction can be prepared without it. While this chair is particularly adapted for use in automobiles, it is not limited thereto. Thus, the chair can be used in the home, ofiice, etc, as desired. These and other variations of the invention will be apparent to those Skilled in the art.

. 5 What is claimed is: 1. A method of Constructing furniture upon a frame which provides a continuous support surface defining a back and a seat comprising forming to size andshape to cover the back and seat a laminate comprising an allway stretch fabric cemented to an elastic resin foam sheet by a cured elastomeric adhesive between said fabric and said sheet, said laminate having a peripheral welt, shaping a resilient material to form a seat cushion, positioning said-cushion on the seat portion of the frame, covering the frame and the cushion with the laminate, and attaching the laminate to the outer edges of the back and seat of the frame by means of the peripheral welt, whereby the free movement of the cushion and the laminate shapes and forms the seat portion of the furniture.

2. A method of constructing upon a frame which provides a continuous support surface defining a back and a seat comprising forming to size and shape to cover the back and seat a laminate comprising an all-way stretch fabric cemented to an elastic resin foam sheet by a cured 20 elastomeric adhesive between said fabric and said sheet, said laminate having a peripheral welt, shaping a first resilient material to form a seat cushion, positioning the cushion on the seat portion of the frame, shaping a second tioning said padding on the back portion of the frame, covering the frame, the cushion and the padding with the laminate and attaching the laminate to the outer edges of the back and seat of the frame by means of the peripheral welt, whereby the free movement of the cushion and the padding against the laminate shapes and forms the sea-t and back of the furniture.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein a scrim fabric is attached to the other side of said foam sheet from said stretch fabric.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein. said laminate includes a sheet of fiberfill between said foam sheet and said stretch fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,358,438 9/1944 Beachley 5353.l 2,775,287 12/1956 Mantegna 5351 2,785,440 3/ 1957 Toulmin 264-25 2,913,041 11/1959 Mathison 2991.1 3,094,716 6/ 1963 Friedman 156-229 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

resilient material to form a padding for the back, posi- 25 THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING FURNITURE UPON A FRAME WHICH PROVIDES A CONTINUOUS SUPPORT SURFACE DEFINING A BACK AND A SEAT COMPRISING FORMING TO SIZE AND SHAPE TO COVER THE BACK AND SEAT A LAMINATE COMPRISING AN ALLWAY STRETCH FABRIC CEMENTED TO AN ELASTIC RESIN FOAM SHEET BY A CURED ELASTOMERIC ADHESIVE BETWEEN SAID FABRIC AND SAID SHEET, SAID LAMINATE HAVING A PERIPHERAL WELT, SHAPING A RESILIENT MATERIAL TO FORM A SEAT CUSHION, POSITIONING SAID CUSHION ON THE SEAT PORTION OF THE FRAME, COVERING THE FRAME AND THE CUSHION WITH THE LAMINATE, AND ATTACHING THE LAMINATE TO THE OUTER EDGES OF THE BACK AND SEAT OF THE FRAME BY MEANS OF THE PERIPHERAL WELT, WHEREBY THE FREE MOVEMENT OF THE CUSHIONU AND THE LAMINATE SHAPED AND FORMS THE SEAT PORTION OF THE FURNITURE. 